MAGNIFICENT ERA of Muslims’ Inventions

MAGNIFICENT ERA of Muslims’ Inventions
A report by the staff

In another related article in the present issue the importance of exhibition on Muslims Civilization was highlighted to improve the image of Muslims in the West and the exhibition that was held at Washington, ,D.C was briefly examined.
Evidently the exhibition in USA that was reported in the preceding article has traveled and made stops at in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Singapore and other places. The latest stop that has come to our attention was in Malaysia?),A report on this exhibition is used here to give glimpses of a few high achievements of Muslims.,Sultans of Science” – Malaysian way of labeling, is a rediscovery of the history of sciences that goes back to the periods of Islamic scholars when Europe was asleep and was in the period of - what is commonly described as, of Dark Ages. The Encyclopedia of Britannica traces the beginning of the Renaissance for the Europe to the Muslims Civilization that had reached a pinnacle k in achievements in all areas of life- Arts and Sciences, basic thoughts, and applications alike.
The entire exhibition is divided into nine clusters, each with extensive materials including interactive games, touch-screen displays, models of inventions and panels of information.
Among the most attractive clusters are the ones on fine technology and inventions by Al-Jazari (1136-1206) who was the chief engineer at the Artuklu Palace. Models of his most famous inventions like the combination lock, beaker water clock and the Elephant Clock were on display. The Elephant Clock is an early example of multiculturalism represented by technology.. The elephant represents Indian and African cultures, the dragon represents Chinese culture, the phoenix represents ancient Egyptian culture, the water work represents ancient Greek culture, and the turban represents Islamic culture.- (The turban seems to capture the West’s imagination, and may have been dominant in this representation}). The touch screen display tells visitors about Al-Jazari’s largest invention, the Castle Clock which stoodt 3.4m high and had multiple functions.
The Greatest Explorers cluster includes Zheng He (1371-1433), a Muslim Hui-Chinese fleet admiral who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Somalia and the Swahili Coast, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng .A model of his Treasure Ship is also on display in the Exhibition
.Visitors also get to explore a 1513 world map by Piri Reis, Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni’s astronomical encyclopedia and Al-Jahiz’s Book of Animals and discover how animals communicate. At the Medical Inventions & Discoveries cluster, visitors learn about Ibn Sina, whom Belgian chemist George Sarton described as the most famous scientist in Islamic history.
Or learn about Al-Razi, one of the greatest thinkers of the Middle Ages who has had a tremendous influence on the method that medicine is practised today.
Read about Ibn Nafis who correctly described pulmonary circulation 300 years before the English physician, William Harvey. There is also a display of surgical instruments similar to those that are used today.